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Crimson Twilight Story
The story of Crimson Twilight takes place in the land of Haethyia. It follows Lyon, the king's royal guard, and Abelia, princess of Azarria who become embroiled in a quest to save their occupied kingdom from a war that seems imminent. The Fall of Azarria When troops from Dalkia invade Azarria, King Rataxil sends Abelia, along with his royal guard Lyon, to the neighboring country of Ethereia for safety. As the two exit the castle, they are confronted by Aurrinru, who attacks Lyon, dealing him a nasty blow. Lyon quickly grabs Abelia and escapes, riding atop his Great Jaggi into the mountains. Later, Orth and two of his underlings catch up with Lyon and Abelia, and engage them in battle. Having defeated their oppressors, Lyon and Abelia continue their journey to Ethereia. Escape! Dalkian forces led by Gimbrek arrive in the Town of Ilframere. An Ethereian scout reports the news to Princess Daerris, suggesting she return to the Tower of Valtnir for safety. Daerris refuses to leave without knowing what's happened to her friend Abelia. She insists on staying until Abelia and her companions are found, and requests that her father send more troops. Outside the Rorrik Temple, Gimbrek's scouts tell him that the enemy is preparing to defend their position, and ask for his orders. Gimbrek smirks and tells his soldiers to stand back and watch as he takes care of the enemy himself. He then engages battle with the mercenary guarding the temple and disposes of him easily. The Dalkian soldiers then take their places surrounding in the area. Inside the Rorrik Temple, Daerris commands Gimbrek to retreat, threatening to fight him herself. Gimbrek then asks what authority that command comes from. Daerris introduces herself as the Princess of Ethereia and orders him out, telling him that if she is harmed, her father and brother will see to his end. Gimbrek takes the opportunity to seize Daerris and lock her up as a hostage. Lyon and Abelia arrive at the scene, alarmed by the presence of the Dalkian army. Lyon suggests they bypass the Town of Ilframere and head straight to Gaiakesh, but Abelia won't hear of it. Still in shock from the decimation she saw in Azarria, Abelia is determined not to let the same thing happen to Ethereia. Lyon acquiesces, requesting that the princess keep herself safe, for the good of the people of Azarria. Upon encountering Gimbrek, he recognizes Abelia, and tells his soldiers to bring him the princess. Baelro appears with a small group of soldiers in search of Daerris. Baelro informs his soldiers that Princess Daerris should be inside the temple, but they too discover the presence of the Dalkian army. The Ethereian's continue on, first to rescue Daerris from her trapped state, then to assist Lyon and Abelia. During the battle, Lyon mentions to Baelro that it is the responsibility of the two of them to watch over Princess Abelia's safety. Baelro tells Abelia that Daerris is being held hostage in the Rorrik Temple, and Abelia hurries to her friend's safety. After Gimbrek is defeated and Lyon and Abelia seize the temple, first Baelro finds Daerris perfectly unharmed, then Abelia and Daerris have a lighthearted reunion. Daerris wonders about Artroclus' safety, and Abelia says she doesn't know of her brother's whereabouts. Daerris then wishes to meet Lyon and Abelia at the Tower of Valtnir, to see if King Demuth knows anything of Artroclus. At the Tower of Valtnir, Demuth first rejoices for Daerris' safety, then tells her never to leave without his permission. Lyon and Abelia greet King Demuth, telling of their escape from Azarria. Demuth is pleased with Abelia's safety, but reports that King Rataxil did not survive the fall of Azarria. Demuth assures them that Ethereia will punish Dalkia for its actions, then requests that Lyon and Abelia stay in Ethereia and rest. Lyon asks if Demuth knows anything of Prince Artroclus and his disappearance. Demuth says his scouts have reports of Artroclus besting the Dalkian army at every encounter, and that he now fights at the Dragonspine Outpost of Titan Falls in Adelia, Dalkia. Upon hearing this news, Abelia denies Demuth's offer to stay in Ethereia and decides to ride to her brother's side with reinforcements. Demuth argues with her for a while, saying that the entirety of Ethereia's forces rides with Ronris toward the Imperial City of Shiva, and that he could not spare any forces for her. Abelia presses on, and convinces Demuth to let her go. In a hallway, Daerris urges Abelia not to go and put herself in danger. Abelia denies this, saying that she has to go rescue her brother. Daerris then spouts off a load of unanswerable questions, most notably wondering what Dalkia's intentions were when they invaded Azarria. Lyon and Abelia are aware of the reality that they are now at war, whatever the reason, and the only way they can find the answer is by finding Artroclus. Help Wanted On their way out of the Tower of Valtnir, Lyon and Abelia are confronted by a farmer of the Qalnal Village''' '''seeking aid from a ferocious Tigrex that has been terrorizing his livestock. The feeble man tells them of the Tigrex's unusual migration to the Vymillan Forest. Lyon and Abelia sympathize with the man and agree to slay the Flying Wyvern. When venturing through the Vymillan Forest, Lyon and Abelia are confronted by a viscous pack of Genprey. After fending off the raptor-like creatures, the group continues their pursuit of the Tigrex. Eventually, they encounter a Gendrome, but before it could attack, the Tigrex appears and kills the smaller creature. They battle and defeat the ferocious wyvern. Shortly after defeating the Tigrex, they venture to Qalnal Village to visit the farmer with news of the defeated mark. After Lyon and Abelia are awarded for their gallantry, they decide to take the time to investigate a strange occurrence of a dark aura seen hovering over the Cirdarc region. Fearing the dark aura could be the cause of something terrible, they proceed through Dire Woods only to encounter craters containing residual dark matter. Lyon and Abelia search for clues of what caused the craters only to come across an Asurokkur of Kilhode Village, who claims to have seen the "Dragon of Darkness". According to the Asurokkur, the dragon descended from the dark sky and began to wreak havoc on the nearby villagers. Lyon and Abelia begin to search for clues of the dragon's location. They start by investigating Kilhode Village, questioning the locals of its whereabouts and acquiring its physical description. Lyon and Abelia are led to the Black Cove where the dragon was thought to be headed. Upon nearing the Black Cove, Lyon and Abelia encounter the dragon, and according to Lyon, this "Dragon of Darkness" turns out to be Magala, the Omen of Death. It is reputed to bring about the demise of loved ones of those who encounter it. However, after spotting Lyon and Abelia, the dragon Magala disappears into the woods. Believing Magala's reputation of being the Omen of Death, Abelia becomes even more determined to find Artroclus. Therefore, Lyon and Abelia set out to Dalkia. The Protected Lyon and Abelia pass through Azarria where they see first-hand the devastation caused by the invasion. As they travel through Arden Village, a group of bandits led by Greed invade the village. Abelia immediately wishes to help the villagers in need, as well as the villages that have yet to be attacked. Shorty after routing the bandits, a villager approaches Abelia and offers them food and beds to sleep in for the night. Lyon, though thankful, rejects the offer, saying they are in a hurry and they must continue their travels. The villager notices Abelia's bracelet and warns her not to wear valuable items so openly, as groups like the bandits they encountered will make her a target. Later that night, Lyon awakes from a terrible nightmare after envisioning himself murdering innocent people. The next morning, Lyon and Abelia take the time to admire the customs of Arden Village. They are then confronted by a former Dalkian cleric named Voleta. She tells them of Emperor Thehrím's plan to destroy the Sacred Stones that safeguard the land from evil. According to Voleta, the emperor has changed, and the holders of the Sacred Stones must be warned. Having distracted herself, a man bumps into Abelia, apologizes, and runs off. She is confused for a moment, then she realizes her bracelet is missing. Abelia is willing to let the valuable trinket go, but Lyon is incredibly worried about the bracelet and chases after the man. The Bandits of Lebruvar Lyon and Abelia are in pursuit of the thief who stole Abelia's bracelet. They have managed to track the man to the hideout of Greed's Bandits by piecing together testimony from the villagers of Arden Village. Before they head towards the hideout, Abelia laments the lawlessness Azarria has descended into as a result of Dalkia's attack. Lyon adds that with no soldiers of Azarria left to punish bandits and Dalkia's refusal to maintain order, the citizenry will continue to suffer with no end in sight. Suddenly, Voleta appears and approaches them. She explains that she and Fenrir come from a village outside Dalkia called Lark that was completely destroyed by Greed's Bandits and that they were the only survivors of the attack. Fenrir pursued the bandits to their hideout to retrieve something they stole from her, leaving Voleta concerned that he might end up dead against such a dangerous foe. Lyon and Abelia agree to help Voleta as they have a similar destination and the princess cannot ignore the plight of her countrymen. With a new ally in tow, Lyon and Abelia begin their assault on the bandit’s fortress. During the battle, Fenrir sneaks into the fortress and begins to steal the treasure of the bandits. Voleta quickly spots Fenrir and approaches him. She begs him to forget the "mirror" that the bandits stole and leave with her. Fenrir harshly responds that they have no home and tells Voleta that she is too much of a klutz to accompany him on a stealth mission. Voleta begins to get angry, instantly causing Fenrir's attitude to change. Fenrir tells her to remain by his side and he carries on with his mission. After they defeat Greed and seizes the hideout, Voleta makes Fenrir promise to stop doing such dangerous stuff by himself. Fenrir, wanting Voleta to stop complaining, agrees to her demands and reveals that he managed to retrieve their master's mirror that appears to be a crystal ball. Voleta reveals that the Time Shear was used by her master to see into the future. She also reveals her power to see into the future as well, but when questioned by Abelia of what the future holds, Voleta refuses to reveal the fate of Azarria. Lyon suddenly demands that Fenrir return Abelia's bracelet which Fenrir does after observing Lyon's threatening presence. Lyon lectures Fenrir, telling him that if he cares for Voleta, he will choose to lead his life differently. Lyon's lecture prompts Fenrir to request to join his ranks. Lyon defers the decision to Abelia, who accepts the two as protectors of Azarria. Lyon then returns the bracelet to Abelia while also reminding her that she must never lose it, no matter what. Abelia asks why the bracelet is so important, but Lyon does not answer. Despite Lyon's response, she chooses to believe in her trusted knight and does not demand an answer. Meanwhile, at the Malefic Citadel in the Imperial City of Shiva, the Imperial Three—Adonis, Rayne, and Sithos—have been called for an audience with Emperor Thehrím. Before they see the emperor, the three discuss the sorrowful state of Azarria. Sithos and Adonis wonder what the emperor could possibly be thinking with his invasion of Azarria and letting its citizens fall prey to bandits. They also question Thehrím's recent choices in promotions. Rayne quells their worries by reminding them that as servants of the emperor, it is not their place to question his orders. The three proceed to the throne room and are greeted by Thehrím. The emperor then proceeds to announce promotions of soldiers whose performance in the invasion of Azarria was notable and will be of great service to his goal of conquering all of Haethyia. These soldiers are Aurrinru, Chester, and Aias. The emperor's new promotions are each assigned a duty alongside the Imperial Three. Rayne and Aias are assigned the task of conquering Ethereia, Adonis and Chester are assigned to defend Dalkia, and Sithos and Aurrinru are assigned to capture Abelia and Artroclus. Before continuing onto Dalkia, Abelia wishes to return to Rastow to confirm her father's fate. Lyon, however, fears the pervading Dalkian's could still be lingering behind the fortified walls of Rastow, and believes it would be wise to avoid treading in their path. Ignoring the consequences, Abelia convinces Lyon to trek to Rastow and investigate its ruins. Upon nearing the Wall of Rastow, Abelia is horrified at the sight of slaughtered Azarrian soldiers that are mounted on spikes on the Wall. She is in disbelief at the fact that the once peaceful Dalkians employed such monstrous acts of violence. Lyon insists that they return to Rastow after the invasion has died down. Ancient Horrors Lyon and Abelia continue their journey south to Dalkia in search of Artroclus. In their path is Trenchant Forest, an ancient forest in Sievione, Azarria. Some time after entering the forest Abelia notices strange figures in the forest, and she asks Lyon about them. Jorrek and his young daughter Rinerae, residents of the forest, have also noticed the strange creatures. Jorrek is greatly concerned by this, wondering how monsters walk the soil of Haethyia while the Sacred Stones exist. Rinerae recognizes some of the monsters, mentioning that they are Revenants, walking human corpses that strike with claws. Jorrek tells Rinerae to stay in the Hollowstag Hamlet while he goes to meet the travelers up north. Rinerae is happy to, claiming that she could easily protect the forest. Approaching Lyon and Abelia, Jorrek tells them that they need to head south as quickly as possible to avoid being surrounded by monsters. Abelia questions Jorrek, asking if they are the same monsters that served the Demon King in the past, Jorrek seems unsure, but thinks they match descriptions of the legends. A Revenant suddenly approaches and attacks Jorrek, though it is easily dispatched by Lyon. Shortly into the battle, a glorious maiden and her two retainers appear at the top of the cliffs to the northeast. The woman strongly desires to smite the monsters in the name of justice, but eventually agrees to find a way down that doesn't involve throwing themselves down several cliffs. After they rout the monsters from the area, Lyon insists that the corpses be burned, to prevent them from getting up again. Abelia is still in disbelief, having never seen such abominations outside of myths and tales. Lyon is greatly concerned by this new development, and recommends that they return to Ethereia to regroup. Abelia insists they continue south in search of her brother, and Lyon relents, and reaffirms his goal to protect Abelia at all costs. The maiden from earlier arrives on the scene and introduces herself as Zera. Zera is downcast when Abelia informs her that the monsters have already been vanquished. Abelia asks Zera of her identity, though Zera is stopped by one of her retainers, saying it would be inappropriate to reveal her identity. Zera is happy to ride off mysteriously, leaving Abelia somewhat dumbfounded.